Did I say "degree in economics"? Oops, I meant "home economics"

Associated Press reports today that Missouri gubernatorial candidate Dave Spence states on his website that he "earned a degree in Economics." Not quite. The candidate told the St. Louis paper that "his grades weren't good enough for the business school, so he chose a different academic path" -- home economics -- and "he acknowledged that the description of his degree...may be misleading." Here's the site: Dave Spence for Governor - Biography (Spence did go on to a high-level career in business, and I bet he makes a killer lemon chiffon pie, to boot.)

I wonder if AP is checking on all public degree claims these days.

 

It's not just "misleading." It's a full-on lie. We aren't talking about saying you have a Biology degree when you have a Marine Biology degree. Home economics isn't anywhere close to economics.

 

Home Economics...hahaha. Well I know most guys in high school and middle school took that class because it was packed with pretty girls. Maybe he can't read a pie chart but I bet he can make a killer pie (as JB pointed out).

 

"Economics" is derived from two Greek words meaning "household management." So, maybe economics and home economics are not so far apart as they might seem to some.

 

I will say one thing about Texas...the women are nice looking. Louisiana? Not so much.

 

"Home economics" as I understand it is just a fancy term for cooking and household chores (vacuuming, dusting, etc.). Kind of like "sanitation engineer" is a nicer term for garbage collector.

The official major on my B.A. transcript is "Sociology: Criminal Justice", but I just list CJ because the official title I believe would mislead some people into thinking I have a dual major, which I don't (although I do have a minor in Communication).

 

While an interesting etymological fact, it doesn't tell us anything about the relationships of the disciplines.

In reality, home ec entails only a small bit of microeconomics. Most of the field consists of other areas of study. It is more appropriately termed in many universities, "Family and Consumer Sciences."

 

It is odd that someone as successful as this fellow would apparently deceive by omission.

 

It sure speaks to our title obsessed culture.